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Capturing Analog Video… (Time-Based Correction? BM Capture Products?)
Hey Folks,
So I just got a refurbished Sony CCD VX3 Hi8 Handycam for a project with an intentional lo-fi analog aesthetic.
Footage looks great just coming out of the composite cables into a TV…just how we want it….
…however, after much research, I am at a complete loss for what is the HIGHEST FIDELITY means of composite capture :/
I have reviewed the Blackmagic Ultrastudio Express and the Blackmagic Intensity Thunderbolt extensively and have come to the conclusion that the RCA/Composite inputs on both are really good for nothing as people continue to report (on both B&H and Amazon) being unable to capture from a composite source without a “time-base corrector”. One fellow mentioned he had to go VHS player > HDTV > HDMI out > Intensity Shuttle…
…jeesh, do I need to buy a TV for my capture chain?
…I’ve also heard that the Intensity overheats a ton.
My Questions Are:
1. What’s the best way to go about this Hi8 (Composite) > “HD” capture?
(I know THE best is to do SDI, but that is not an option without tracking down an external Hi8 playback device, which I’d rather not do…)2. Is there an alternative device that any of you guys would recommend? —I really need a standalone (USB3.0 or Thunderbolt)
3. Or, am I and all these noobers missing something with the “time-based capture” issue? A setup setting…not shutting off “timecode capture” or something?
Thanks so much!
-Alec -
6 Replies
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Hi Alec. I have an Intensity Shuttle USB 3. I use it to capture from an HDV camcorder via the component and rca outs and capture as 1080i MJEG, 8 bit avi and 10 bit avi straight from the camera imager, bypassing the M2T compression to a solid state laptop with out any problems. Until you post here, I just gathered the composite in worked so I tried it with an old VCR and the video was cutting in and out, mostly out. That’s from a tape. I tried it from a composite out of a SD card AVCHD camera and it captured fine except the aspect ratio was 4/3. If you are capturing straight from the camera imager, not a tape, the Shuttle should work, and mine gets warm, not hot. Some people are getting by the TBC cost and using cheaper video scalers or a Pinnacle Dazzle on a 32 bit Windows OS. Hope this helps, Danny Hays
Danny Hays
Samples of my Work can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ErnestDaniels/videos?view_as=public -
Any of the capture cards you mentioned will work fine once you have a Time Base Corrector in between the camera and the capture card (or hyperdeck, etc). A time base corrector is needed because tape based recording mediums do not produce a “stable” video signal when playing back video, especially when converting / capturing to a digital or file based format that needs each frame of video to start and end at the exact frame rate the video is captured at (This is a bit of an oversimplification).
You will notice that if you plug the camera straight into the capture card, but use the camera’s live signal it will work just fine because it is not coming off the tape and is therefore a stable signal
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You might try to locate a Leitch DPS 575 frame sync. It has an S-Video input and outputs standard def SDI. It can also embed audio and has an option for noise reduction. It can be a read swiss army knife for transfers.
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Hey Everyone!
Thanks so much for all the info and ideas. Corroborates a lot of things I have found in research.
I am going to see how far I can get with a Grass Valley / Canopus ADVC 110 with a solid S-Video connection.
Apparently, a lot of folks have had no TBC problems with them for basic S-Vid/Composite capture, and no heat issue reports that I could find. May be a step down from Blackmagic Intensity, but coming off of a refurbished top-of-the-line prosumer Hi8, with clean heads, I think this may do the trick for me, at least for this particular project. Will post back after doing tests!
-Alec
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Hi Alec. You are aware you will be capturing DV25 avi files with 4.1.1 color space with that device right? Danny
Danny Hays
Samples of my Work can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ErnestDaniels/videos?view_as=public -
Yeah…I’ll give it a go. This is a little side thing. And though I try to never subscribe to such a copout policy, if it achieves a cool, relatively lucid lo-fi aesthetic for web application, in good time, then it will be fine. If I am not satisfied, I will surely post about it. We’ll see, and thanks for the reminder.
-Alec
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